This young singer/musician made headlines when he sang Adiye for a AR Rahman in Mani Ratnam’s in Kadal. A Berklee College student, Sid Sriram has recently sung the melodious Ennodu Nee Irundhal in Shankar’s magnum opus I. The youngsters tells us that he wants to pursue independent music and singing for Kollywood and is currently shuttling between the US and India. Sid Sriram is also an accomplished Carnatic singer and is set to release his album soon. Here’s an exclusive with him:

What’s your music background?

I started learning Carnatic music from my mother, Latha Sriram at the age of three. She has a Carnatic music institution in the San Francisco area, where I grew up so music was always around. I started training under Padmabushan Sri PS Narayanaswamy in 2002 and have been learning from him since. In terms of R&B music I was self taught until the age of 18. I started attending Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2008, and this is where I honed in on my R&B/Soul music, writing/composing original music, and music production/audio engineering.

How did you get chosen by AR Rahman? What was your experience with him like?

One of AR Sir’s engineers had passed on some of my music to him a while ago. While I was in Chennai for the December music season in 2011, they emailed me asking me to come to sir’s studio. He asked me to sing some of my original R&B music, and then a Carnatic composition. A couple months later AR sir emailed me about recording Adiye from Kadal.

You are now into Carnatic music singing in Chennai every December. How has that experience been?

I’ve been singing in the December season for the past 7-8 years and it’s always an enriching experience; the energy is inspiring and humbling. These past couple seasons have been especially great because of the young audiences that have started coming out to my Carnatic shows.

You are now composing music too. Comment.

I first started writing my original music while in Boston, back around 2008/2009. It’s a mode of expression that is very fulfilling. I’ve released 3 EP’s (5-6 song projects) and am currently finishing up my first full length album with my team in LA. We plan on releasing it this spring.

Have there been more Kollywood offers post Kadal? Do you want to get into Kollywood full flegedly?

After Adiye from “Kadal”, the next song I have sung is Ennodu Nee Irundhal from “I”. Outside of these two songs there have been offers, but with me splitting my time between LA, SF, and Chennai coordinating logistics has been tricky; this is a balance I’m still learning to strike. I think film playback singing is always going to be an aspect of what I do, and I’ll be progressing it alongside my original independent music and Carnatic music.

What do you want to achieve as a musician?

I want to make people feel. I think in the information age, with the Internet and social media it’s easy to get trapped in your own head, lose perception of beauty, and become desensitized. I want my music to move people. I want listeners to feel a deep emotional bond and resonance any time they hear music I am a part of.

The popular makeup artist defends Vikram’s film

Filmmaker Shankar hasn’t tried to offend the transgender community in his Tamil magnum opus I, says popular makeup artist Ojas M. Rajani, who essayed an important role in the film.Shankar’s portrayal of Ojas, a transgender, in his film attracted the wrath of a group of transgenders who have demanded a “public apology” from the filmmaker after protesting in front of his residence Monday.

“Shankar didn’t try to demean my character of a transgender. In fact, he shot it so aesthetically that it doesn’t offend anybody, including the transgender community. It’s just part of a story of the film and I requested everybody to not get offended,” Ojas said in a statement.

In the film, Ojas lusts over actor Vikram. This had not gone down too well with many people.

The film has recently made Rs 100 crore at the ticket windows

Vikram and Amy Jackson recently met the press in Chennai to talk about their film’s success. The actors were very happy that they were appreciated by the audience despite the film having mixed reviews.

When Vikram was asked about how some people didn’t like the film, he dismissed it saying, ‘it’s not possible to please everyone.’ He went on to talk about how well the movie was doing at the box office and the collections. In fact, he stated that people were unable to get tickets even a week after the film’s release!

But Vikram did admit one thing – he said that because of the hype, people had very high expectations from Shankar and the film. The actor added that he didn’t expect the Hindi version to make any money because he was not a Bollywood actor and no one knew him up north. The movie did open to 75 percent occupancy in the north which surprised the I team.

As of now, Vikram is happy with the film and Amy has already moved on to shooting her next with Udhayanidhi Stalin. With stories stating that the film had made Rs 100 crore already, Vikram is clear he’s more concerned about what the audience says and less about critics.

Filmmaker Shankar’s Tamil magnum opus I enter 100 crore club

Despite mixed reviews, I has managed to set the box office on fire by collecting over Rs.100 crore in its opening weekend worldwide.“The film has done exceptionally good business outside Tamil Nadu as well. In Kerala, it has set new records for a Tamil film. It has already collected over Rs.100 crore worldwide and continues to go strong at the ticket window,” says trade analyst Trinath. The dubbed Telugu version of I has done phenomenal business in Andhra Pradesh.

“On release day, the Telugu version collected nearly Rs.9 crore, which is exceptional for a dubbed film,” he said. The Hindi dubbed version of the film, according to Trinath, has collected about Rs.6 crore since its release.

Starring Vikram, I also features Amy Jackson and Upen Patel in important roles.

The director has requested for police protection as the community is protesting since last two days

Filmmaker Shankar has sought police protection following protest by a group of transgenders outside his residence here after they found objectionable scenes about their community in his latest Tamil magnum opus I.The transgender community is upset with the way Shankar has portrayed the character essayed by popular make-up artist, a transgender, Ojas M. Rajani. ”They have been protesting since the last two days. Since everything was out of control, Shankar sir has requested for police protection,” says a source close to the filmmaker.

Popular transgender TV personality Rose Venkatesan said that the way Shankar portrayed Ojas in the film belittles our community. Members of the community are likely to lodge an official complaint with the police Monday.

Transgenders in Tamil Nadu are up in arms against the latest Tamil flick I, directed by Shankar, for reportedly portraying them in poor light and plan to stage a protest in front of his house tomorrow.

Transgenders in Tamil Nadu are up in arms against the latest Tamil flick I, directed by Shankar, for reportedly portraying them in poor light and plan to stage a protest in front of his house tomorrow. ”Tomorrow some of us will stage a protest in front of director Shankar’s house”, popular transgender celebrity and social activist Rose Venkatesan said. Venkatesan said they also planned to seek the support of LGBT members. “We are also planning to get their support”, another transgender said.

They are irked at being shown in bad light in the magnum opus I, which stars Vikram and Amy Jackson in lead roles. Double Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman has scored the music for the film.

A representative of ChennaiDost, a community for LGBT, told PTI, “So far we have not received any request from them (transgenders) for the protest. Once we get it from them we will decide it”, he said.

Here’s how much the Hindi version of the film has earned…

Southern superstar Vikram’s latest outing I is having a decent run at the theatres. The film opened to a grand holiday weekend of Lohri, Makar Sankranti and Pongal, in the southern part of the country but it released in Hindi only on Friday. The film’s second day was stupendous and has minted Rs 2.50 crores on its second day.

This is only the collection from the Hindi version of the film, which surprisingly is doing really well at the box office. Thus the total collection of the film went up to Rs 4.50 crores (approx) at the domestic box office in Hindi. The film’s Hindi version has shown a pretty good rise of about 20-25% from Friday collections. It is assumed that the figures from Sunday’s collections would be even bigger.

This Hindi version of I may not be doing as good as its Tamil counterpart but the film’s content is getting a word of mouth publicity from fans all over. Wethinks the business this dubbed version will get in the forthcoming days will be much more than the previous Tamil dubbed Tamil releases.

The lack of novelty in plot is compensated by engaging story telling filled with twists and turns to keep you engaged

Post Rajinikanth’s Robot, director Shankar has been away from big budget films for four years. With Vikram’s I, the director revisits his love for grandeur and visual spectacle, without sacrificing the elements of commercial cinema. With huge anticipation among the fans all over, I is sure to rule the box office for next few days. Backed by a great team of actors and technicians including names like Vikram, AR Rahman and PC Sreeram, Shankar has tried to sell the old wine in new package. Does it work? Read on to find out.

What’s it about:

I recounts the age old saga of love and revenge, keeping in mind the taste of mass audiences. The story revolves around body builder Lingesan, whose goal in life is to become Mr Tamil Nadu. Apart from training restlessly in gym, Lingesan’s only other job is to fantasise about hs favourite super model Diya, night and day. Meanwhile Diya, played by Amy Jackson, appalled by the behaviour of fellow ad model John, played by Upen Patel, has a chance meeting her fan Lingesan. In order to resurrect her drowning carrer in ad world, Diya seeks Lingesan’s help, asking him to star in a high profile perfume commercial with her. Love blossoms between the two leads, which irks transgender stylist Osma, who loves Lingesan. Lingesan turns into Lee, an ad world sensation with in just few months time. Jealous of his rising career and blossoming love life, John, Osma join hands with Diya’s family doctor, who has a thing for Diya, to bring Lee down. The detractors evil plan works as Lee soon becomes hunchbacked cripple due to influenza virus injected in his body. How does severely deformed Lee aka Lingesan, takes revenge from his enemies forms the rest of the story. Will Diya accept him in the crippled form?

What’s good:

I is technically a very sound film, backed with sprawling sets, breathtaking make up, amazing camera work, nicely choreographed stunt sequences and some great background score from AR Rahman. Though the story has nothing new to tell, an interesting twist and turns keep you engaged. Vikram has given a stand out performance pulling of three different roles – body builder, model and hunchbacked cripple with great conviction. Be it comedy, romance or action, Vikram is game for it. The amount effort he has put to get into the shoes of body builder’s character is commendable. Amy Jackson looks hot and sexy at the intial stages of the film and has shown a lot of improvement from her previous performances. Upen Patel has good screen time in the film and the Bigg Boss star has utilised it well by giving a decent enough performance. Suresh Gopi is the surprise element of the film. The songs, composed by Rahman, are brilliant, especially Tum Todo Na( Ennodu Nee Irunthaal) song will leave you mesmerised. The portions shot in China are extremely beautiful.

What’s bad:

Contrary to it’s amazing trailer, I does not have an exhilarating story to tell, as Shankar rehashes the old clichés and packs them in a new way. The film’s three-hour run-time your tests you patience, as I found myself checking my watch more than once. While watching I, at times I thought, if so much of grandeur was required for the film to work. The scenes with transgender’s feelings and heart break, have not been dealt subtly as I found everyone in the audience laugh at her dismay, leaving me cringing in my seat. When the credits roll, we get to see Vikram slowly getting cured from his crippled ailment, which I felt was unnecessary as I felt the makers are trying to force a happy ending down my throat.

What to do:

I is not a great film and you are bound to be disappointed if you go in with huge expectations. But Vikram’s I is far from bad film. Watch it as a regular entertainer and the chances are there that you would end up liking it. I is a visual spectacle which should not be missed on big screen. Watch it for Vikram’s efforts, Shankar’s grandeur and some amazing make up work by WETA.

Shankar’s much anticipated film has finally released

When we saw the trailer of Vikram’s I we were stunned with its breathtaking visuals and high octane fight sequences. And since we couldn’t figure much about the story line from the trailer, we were really looking forward to watching this sci-fi romantic thriller starring Vikram, Amy Jackson, Suresh Gopi, Upen Patel, Santhanam and Ramkumar Ganesan. Our critic Subramanian Harikumar is watching the film at a theatre right now and has sent us his first impression of the film.

He says, “I tells the story of Mr Tamil Nadu aspirant, Lingesan, played by Vikram, who is head over heels in love with super model Diya played by Amy Jackson. When Amy faces trouble with arrogant model Upen Patel, she tranforms Lingesan into Lee and makes him a star model overnight. At the same time, in a different timeline, I also tells the story of a hunch backed cripple, who also happens to be Lingesan. The cripple abducts Diya before her marriage. How did Lingesan aka Lee become crippled and what happened between him and Diya which forced him to abduct her forms the rest of the story. Performances from Amy and Upen are decent, but it is Vikram who steals the show with his colloquial slang, bulging muscles and impeccable acting. Santhanam provides comic relief and PC Sreeram’s cinematography in top notch especially in songs. AR Rahman’s background score is incredible and Shankar’s direction is noteworthy as he takes a normal love story to a grand scale. But story wise, I has nothing new to offer. Lets see how the story unfolds in second half.”

The I actor talks about the challenges he faced during making of the film

Actor Vikram, who lost about nearly 50 percent of his original body weight to play one of the roles in forthcoming Tamil magnum opus I, found it tough to control his urge to eat.“It was extremely difficult to control hunger. It drove me crazy,” said Vikram. In I, which is directed by Shankar, the 48-year-old actor plays dual role of a body builder and a hunchbacked disfigured man. ”For the role of the bodybuilder, I had to beef up and work out extensively in the gym to have a muscular body. I could’ve easily achieved that with the help of steroids, but I avoided it despite being wooed into using it by professionals,” he said.

“It was for the role of the disfigured man that I lost nearly half of my original body weight. Shankar never wanted me to lose weight for this role but I did it anyways. I had to control my hunger to achieve the desired look. I literally survived on fluids,” he added. Vikram admits there were instances he couldn’t control his hunger. ”I completely stopped going out during the course of the shoot as we wanted to keep the look a secret. Since I spent most of my time at home, I was tempted to scarf down homemade food, especially biryani,” he said.

“Some days I ended up eating in the middle of the night. I would eat anything that I found in the fridge. I just couldn’t control my hunger,” he added. Also starring Amy Jackson, Upen Patel and Suresh Gopi, I releases in cinemas worldwide Wednesday. It is touted to be the most expensive Tamil film.